A Short Break
Composition Corner will return next week as there is a big sale on the Sight Reading Practice Tests starting at 8:00 a.m. CST today. Stay tuned…
Teaching Composition
What Do You Want Me to Do? [Composition Corner]
This is the first of the articles in our new Composition Corner. Many teachers have told me that they do not feel equipped to teach composition. They feel that they do not have the tools that they need to critique
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2011 Piano Explorer Composition Contest
The 2011 Composition Contest theme is any interesting one: “Musical Instruments.” The January Piano Explorer says this about the contest: Every instrument has a different sound and character. Some are deep and serious, while others are bright and sparkly. Some
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Introducing Composition Corner
There is nothing quite comparable to the excitement experienced when we are able to create something unique that we can call our own. We see it so innocently when a child draws us a picture, an infant makes all sorts
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Creativity Test
In a recent Wall Street Journal article, Sue Shellenbarger wrote about what makes kids creative. In the article, “A Box? Or a Spaceship? What Makes Kids Creative?” Shellenbarger gives excellent suggestions for parents on helping their children think creatively, make
Creativity at Christmas Time: Jingle Bell Variations
Since the topic this week is encouraging creativity in our students at Christmas time, I thought I’d re-post the “Theme and Variations” challenge that we completed in my studio last year. It was great fun and there is still time
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Creativity at Christmas Time: A Story in Sound
Every few years, my students do a creative “Story in Sound” project for our Christmas recital. It is very easy to implement and the students and audience seem to enjoy it immensely. It’s not too late to do this for
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Creativity: “Oh the Thinks You Can Think!”
I know that I am not alone when I say that Dr. Seuss was a brilliant writer and illustrator of children’s books. I’ve always enjoyed reading his books to children and my fascination with sounds makes it all the more
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Am I Creative?
Recently, I read an article on the Psychology Today website called, “How to be Creative: Can Creativity be Taught?” Though the article had some useful suggestions, something bothered me about this title. I realized that the reason I don’t
What is Creativity? [A definition that can change your life]
Recently, I gave a workshop in Wichita called “Nurturing Creativity and Inspiration.” I shared about how to be more creative in teaching and how to find that elusive concept of inspiration. Though I cannot condense a 2 hour workshop into
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